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Sunday, December 27, 2009

That was Sophie's advice. Sophie is my agent and unlike me, Sophie knows a lot about the publishing world. So when Sophie said, start a blog, stake out some cyber-real estate, learn how to twitter, I had to take her seriously.

The only problem was - I hadn't really read too many blogs, I didn't own any cyber-real estate and I had no idea what twitter was, except it had something to do with mobile phones, and I didn't have one of them either.

It's taken a few months to "start a blog". All sorts of issues arose - such as what to call it - what to put into it - when to find the time to do it. I procrastinated by "researching" other peoples' blogs. I eventually stumbled into the web spaces occupied by writers whose work I admired and had a look at what they were up to.

Sara Paretsky presents a webface that reflects the passions and concerns of her VI Warsawhski novels. There are updates on progress of her new novel, sample chapters, and an engaged feisty blogger.

Ian Rankin's web space is chock a block full of treats and Rebus extras. He doesn't blog but his tweets are a delightful mix of music gigs, trips to the pub, TV and chocolate on the sofa.

So, now thoroughly intimidated and impressed by Rankin and Paretsky (where do these guys find time to write and do all this web-presence stuff?) I've finally set up the blog, opened the twitter account and learnt what predictive text does on the mobile.

All I need to do now is, finish the edit on the novel for a January deadline with Penguin, continue plotting and peopling book 2, whilst remaining alert and attentive for the next stage of development on the SBS crime series project based on Phillip Gwynne's socks-knocking-off Top End crime drama The Build Up ...... oh, and blog a bit!

All in all, 2009, has been a bloody big learning curve for an ex-cop, ex-EFL teacher, ex-research librarian. This time last year I had just delivered my MA in Writing Thesis for examination, I now have a contract with Penguin to publish the first of two crime novels featuring Detective Nhu Ned Kelly and I'm involved in developing a new TV crimes series for SBS.

It all sounds very A + B = C when written like that. Of course it never is, but more of that later .....

Not sure I'll be a daily blogger, I can see how this stuff could become a major procrastinating tool! And I really don't need another one of those. I'm an ace procrastinator as it is. Next to me, Hamlet looks like a really decisive dude.